


Interlude: Portal and Gateway

by L_Moonshade



Series: Altered Realities [23]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-31
Updated: 2018-12-31
Packaged: 2019-10-01 12:25:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,639
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17244164
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/L_Moonshade/pseuds/L_Moonshade
Summary: Weeping Angels aren't the only way to cross realities.





	Interlude: Portal and Gateway

Tony Stark was, as usual, driving while distracted. He'd gone out to clear his head without having to worry about traffic, since it was almost three in the morning. Later he would think about what could have happened if his reflexes weren't so good, or if he'd been drinking and unable to swerve as fast as he did. He'd dwell on it for all of thirty seconds before feeling sick and deciding it didn't bear thinking about.

As it was, he managed to swerve and slam on the brakes, coming to rest just before going off the road. He took a minute to let his heart slow a bit and pry white-knuckled hands off the steering wheel, then climbed out of the car (using the door; there was no jumping out, shaky as he was). As bad as he felt, though, he couldn't imagine what the girl in the middle of the road was thinking. He couldn't have missed her by more than inches.

"Hey. You okay? God, I'm sorry, I didn't see you…"

She was shivering, her teeth chattering, arms wrapped around herself. "Not surprised," she said, words jittery.

He pulled off his jacket and wrapped it around her. She was young, maybe thirteen, and she looked like she was in trouble. Her shoes were scuffed and covered in dirt and grass clippings; her face dusty and tear-stained; the knee of one pants leg mud-caked and the other torn, showing bloody scrapes.

"Woah. Who're you running from?"

"Mu-my father. I think… I really think he wants to kill me."

Stark couldn't believe that, but it was obvious the girl did. He stood there, not sure what else to do, until he heard the girl murmur, "I should let him."

Well, he thought, he couldn't let that stand. "You're going into shock. Come on, let's get you someplace warm."

She let him help her to her feet but was shaking too badly to walk, so he picked her up and carried her to the car. "What's your name? Gotta have something to call you."

"Andie."

He helped her fasten the seatbelt, then moved around to the driver's side and got in. "Really? Cause, you look like a girl to me."

She didn't smile, but he thought he saw one corner of her mouth quirk up just a bit. "Short for Andrea."

"Hmm. Yeah, guess that makes sense. Tony Stark. You may have heard of me."

She turned to look at him, an expression on her face he couldn't read. "You can't be."

"Yeah, I know, it's hard to believe you're actually meeting me, huh?"

She shook her head. "No, I mean, Tony Stark doesn't exist."

"Then who's driving the car?"

He tried to keep her talking (he really wanted to find out why she thought he couldn't be real) but, while she obviously listened, she didn't say much. Finally he was pulling into the garage and helping her upstairs. "What's your last name?" he asked, leading her up to the main house. "You've got to have some family who's, y'know. Sane."

"Andie…Andrea Elizabeth Brown, but there's no one. Just my mom, and she's gone."

Tony winced as he started pouring milk for cocoa. "That's rough. How'd she die?"

"She didn't. I mean, I don't think she did. She disappeared a couple of years ago. They found her car at the cemetery her grandparents are buried at, but other than that there was nothing. Not a trace."

That, Tony thought, was even worse. Not having any idea where her mother might be, or why she left? "I'm sorry."

He finished making the cocoa in silence then took it and the girl into the TV room, noticing her skinned hands when she took the mug from him. He was already looking at options, ways to give her a new name and find her a new family, just in case her father was really as homicidal as she seemed to think. Without thinking, he grabbed the remote and turned on the TV to start flipping through channels.

"So. Why was your father chasing you?"

She drew her legs up, curling into a little ball and said nothing. She did sip at the cocoa, though, so he counted that as a win.

"Don't want to talk to me, huh? Don't worry, I get it. I'm not the easiest person to talk to. I mean, I hardly shut up enough to let someone…"

"Wait!"

Tony froze, wondering what had gotten her attention. Something on the TV, given the way she was staring at it with wide eyes. Tony frowned when he saw what it was.

"Trust me, Kid. Baseball isn't that interesting."

"No, go back a couple of channels."

He did, going slowly enough that she could get a good look at what was on the screen. "There," she said, stopping him at a cartoon.

It was one he'd seen before, some show about superheroes that was good for background noise. He knew the characters a lot better than he'd ever admit, including the small, cigar-smoking guy who was on screen now.

"I know him."

"Yeah, Wolverine. He seems to be a fan favorite."

She shook her head. "No, I mean… he came with someone trying to recruit me to a private school. He said he knew my mom when she went there." She nodded at the TV when another character came into view. "That's the guy he was with. Logan and Charles Xavier."

Tony wanted to call bullshit, but he remembered the way she'd seemingly come out of nowhere. Yeah, he'd been distracted, but not _that_ distracted. And she'd been walking towards him when she stepped onto the road, so she should have been in his headlights for longer than she had been.

"Is that why your father was after you? Because you're a mutant?"

She nodded, eyes welling with tears.

"Is that why you think you should have let him?"

She screwed her eyes shut and nodded again. "I thought… I mean he told me… And I believed him. What does that make me?"

Tony let out a bark of humorless laughter. "It makes you a typical, self-loathing teenager. Though, I'm still not convinced you're not trying to pull one over on me with this whole, 'I come from a cartoon reality,' thing."

She nodded. "Yeah, I know." She set her empty mug down and curled back up, wrapping his jacket tighter around herself. "Is JARVIS around?"

Tony started. "He died, oh, must be about ten years ago, now."

Andie shook her head. "I don't mean your butler. I'm talking about Just A Really Very Intelligent System."

Tony's blood ran cold. He didn't want anyone knowing about the program he was most proud of, because he knew exactly what would happen to JARVIS if they found out. Andie turned to rest her cheek on her knees and gave him a little smile.

"It's okay. No one's going to find out about him from me."

Later, Tony would decide that it was her calling the AI 'him' that made him trust her. "Yeah, he's around. He's still got a bit of learning to do, but he's getting there. Say hello to our guest, JARVIS."

A disembodied voice spoke up. "Hello to our guest, JARVIS."

Andie giggled and Tony grinned. "I'm still trying to decide if that's his not knowing better or snark," he told her.

"I can't imagine where I could have learned snark," JARVIS said, voice dry. "I'm afraid that, while I am finding a number of Andie Browns, none of them match our Miss Brown's description, or have a middle name of Elizabeth."

Tony blinked, surprised. "Who told you to look her up?"

"No one, Sir. However, you stated your wish to find her family, so I took the liberty." There was a pause, then JARVIS said, "Was I in error?"

Tony was surprised to hear a touch of worry in the AI's voice; he hadn't thought JARVIS had developed feelings. "No, JARVIS, you did good."

"It's nice to meet you, JARVIS." Andie gave Tony a little smile. "Think about it, and you should be able to figure out how I know about him."

It didn't take him too long once he gave it some thought. "I'm a cartoon there?"

"Series of movies, but yeah."

"You want a refill?" he asked, indicating the mug. When she shook her head, he took it out to the kitchen. "So, how'd you get here?"

"I don't know how, but my father found out I'm a mutant. He and a bunch of his friends were waiting for me when I got home and I… I haven't gotten control of my powers yet and I knew before I got all the way in the house. I think that's the only thing that saved me, that and the fact that when I ran, I went through backyards and stuff. It slowed me down, but it slowed them down more and when they realized they should try cutting me off, they got lost going back to the sidewalks. No one was gonna help me, though, not when they saw the people chasing me were Friends of Humanity, so I ran into the park. It's huge, and I know it better than anyone so I would've been able to hide."

"But you fell. I noticed your skinned knee and hands."

She nodded. "Even then I would have been okay, but they were too close and I was too tired to get up and run anymore.

"Then I realized that someone was there, just sitting where I fell, like he was waiting for me. He had this thing, a piece of wood on a string, and he started spinning it to make a portal. I saw the road and I… well, I didn't have much choice, they were close enough to see me, so I went through." She shrugged. "The rest you know."

It was hard to believe, but she had come out of nowhere. Hadn't she? "Well, you're safe now. They're stuck back there, no way to get to you, so there's nothing to worry about."

"I'm still a mutant."

Andie sounded so small and lost, that Tony's heart broke for her. He knew what it was like, to feel abandoned by your parents, to feel like a freak, and it wasn't fun. Then something she'd said registered. "Wait, you said your mom went to Xavier's school?"

She frowned. "Yeah. Why?"

"Tell me about her."

"She's amazing. Funny, fun; she loves to play with me and my friends. She loves animals, especially cats, so we always had a couple around and she was always so gentle with them. And me. Any time I had a nightmare, she'd be the first one there and she always seemed like she understood, you know?"

"Then she left."

"No," Andie said, voice firm and sure. "She wouldn't have. I didn't need Logan and Xavier to tell me that. There's no way she would have just left."

"Even though she was a mutant?"

Andie's head shot up. "You're wrong. She wasn't…"

"Xavier's school is for mutants. If she went there, it's because she is one."

She looked at him in disbelief and horror, making Tony feel bad about being so blunt. Hopefully, though, it would help pull Andie out of her self-hate. "Come on," he said after a long moment of silence. "I'll show you where the shower is, find you a T-shirt or something to sleep in. We'll figure out what to do with you in the morning."

She nodded. "Okay." She let him find her an old T-shirt of his and a towel, then followed him to the bathroom. She paused just before shutting the door and said, "Tony? Thanks for taking care of me."

He gave her a genuine smile, one the paparazzi never saw. "Us freaks have to stick together. Seriously," he said, motioning in the direction of the TV. "There are a few mutants whose power is awesome intelligence. Not as awesome as mine, but hey. Can't have everything."

She giggled, another win for Tony. "No, I suppose not."

"And take as much time as you want. You're not going to empty the hot water tank."

"Okay."

She closed the door and he went back to sit in front of the TV. "Sir," JARVIS said, "do you think it wise to tell her about her mother like that?"

Tony sighed and scrubbed a hand over his face. "I don't know, JARVIS. She was going to find out sooner or later, though, and if it makes her realize she's not a monster, then it'll be worth it."

"What do you plan to do?"

"I don't know that, either. You heard her, she hasn't learned how to control her powers. I don't like the idea of letting someone take her in without knowing what they're in for, but I like the idea of telling them even less."

"Perhaps I could find some place that is similar in scope to Professor Xavier's school?"

Tony sighed again. "I doubt there is such a place, but it won't hurt to look."

"In the meantime, what will you tell Mr. Stane?"

Tony thought for a moment. "Yeah, good call. I'll come up with something."

"Very well, Sir."

When Andie was done, Tony took her to the guest room and told her that if she needed anything to tell JARVIS. She promised she would, and was asleep before he was out the door.

It was a lot longer before Tony got to sleep.

**XXXX**

In the morning Tony stumbled down to the kitchen to find Andie making breakfast and chatting with JARVIS. "I figure he needs someone besides you to learn social interaction from," she told Tony.

"Yeah, you're probably right. You can cook?"

She shrugged. "Someone had to, after Mom disappeared. My father couldn't to save his life."

Tony considered that for a moment before deciding to change the subject. "So, you know me and JARVIS. Anyone else?"

"A couple of your 'bots, though I don't know if you've actually built them yet or not. Obadiah Stane and Rhodey, though I more know _of_ them than actually know them. And a couple of others you haven't met yet, so I can't say anything."

Tony frowned. "What do you mean I haven't met them yet?"

"I've been talking to JARVIS. According to him it's 2003, but it was 2014 my time when I was sent here."

It took him a minute to take that in. "So, you know what's going to happen for the next ten years?"

"Kinda? I mean, I don't know every moment of your life, of course, and things may change."

"Well, yeah. I mean you can change… You can't change?"

She was shaking her head. "Not actively. I mean, what should I change? How do I know that I wouldn't just make things worse? And how would I do it? Not everything is cut-and-dried."

He considered that. "Yeah. That makes sense. You're pretty smart."

She ducked her head shyly. "It's more cause this kind of stuff is my favorite. I love science fiction, fantasy, time-travel…"

"And now you're living it. Kinda sucks."

"Yeah, kinda. But it's kinda… I mean, I actually feel safe for the first time since I realized I was a mutant. Still not sure it's okay, but, well, there's not a whole lot I can do about it."

"Not aside from embracing it and figuring out how to control and use it. I figure we can get you some ID made, find someone who can take care of you. Give you a real family. I would but that… I'm not parent material."

She shrugged. "It's okay. I get it."

She may get it, but she didn't like it, Tony thought. He searched for something to say, some way of making it better, but before he could she was turning around to set a plate of food in front of him. "There. Hope it's okay."

He grinned. "It looks amazing," he said, cutting off a piece of omelet to stuff into his mouth. "Tastes just as good," he muttered around the food. "May have to hire you as my cook."

She gave him a smile that almost reached her eyes.

**XXXXXXXX**

The next few days were strangely free of visitors. Or not so strangely; Tony had been planning on spending a few weeks in the workshop, so Rhodey and Obadiah were both keeping their distance. Tony actually did manage to get some work done, but mostly he spent time with Andie, trying to boost her confidence and prove to her that there was no reason for her to hate herself the way she did. He also came up with excuses for why it was taking him so long to get her some ID (though, he mostly gave those excuses to himself). And the entire time he curbed his natural curiosity, wanting to know what her powers were and why he never saw any evidence of them, but not wanting to push her too far or too fast. He wanted her to trust him enough to tell him.

She'd been there for just over a week when the status quo was shaken. He was in his workshop trying to get something accomplished, but he was too distracted by his thoughts. He was running out of excuses to not make her ID, to not take her to people who would make good parents. He was either going to have to do so, or admit the real reason he wasn't.

JARVIS' calm voice broke into his thoughts. "Sir, Miss Andie needs you."

Tony's head shot up, his heart racing with anxiety. "What's going on?"

"I believe she is having a nightmare."

Tony was out of the workshop and racing upstairs in a flash. "Surprised it hasn't happened before now, poor kid." He paused at her door and knocked, but the only answer was her whimpering. Then she cried out and he was bursting into her room before he could think about it, at her side to wake her up.

She did, her eyes flying open. It took her a minute to get her bearings; he helped by talking to her.

"I'm here, Sweetheart. I'm here, and you're safe."

She sat up and threw herself into his arms with a sob; he held her close and rocked her, stroking her hair and talking quietly to her, hoping to calm her down.

It took a while, but Andie did quiet. She didn't move out of the safety of his arms, though, and Tony was in no hurry to let her go.

"I dreamed that he was chasing me, again. But he'd killed Mom, and…"

She burst into tears again and he rocked her, murmuring to her, soothing platitudes that seemed to work. He held her close, protectively, and told himself again that she deserved a better family than he could give her.

"Think you can get back to sleep?"

"Would you stay until I do?"

"Of course."

She lay back down and he pulled the covers up, tucking her in. "We should go shopping tomorrow," he said, not really thinking about what he was saying, just wanting to help her back to sleep. "You can't keep wearing the stuff you came here in."

She nodded, gave a sleepy smile. "Cool."

He kept talking, telling her about where they'd go, where they should stop for lunch, planning out their day until she drifted back to sleep. He leaned forward and kissed her forehead, then went back to the TV room.

"JARVIS, start looking into who sent her here." When that was greeted with silence, Tony huffed. "You already know."

"I believe so. I have sent the information to your tablet."

"Hmm," Tony mused, getting up to find it. "I'll have to set something up so you can just show me. Projectors, maybe holograms… Make a note, would you?"

"Notation made."

Tony found the pad and sat down to look over the information. Once he was done, he sat there for a long moment in silence.

"So, what you're saying is, it seems Gateway never sends anyone anywhere without a reason. Not when he does it on his own, anyway."

"That would appear to be the case. Sir? What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking that, while I have no idea what it could be, she was sent here, to us, for a reason."

"Because you're best-equipped to create an identity for her and find a family to care for her?"

Tony fell silent again. JARVIS let him be, until the inventor finally stood and heaved a sigh. "Maybe it's selfish—God knows I'm not the best candidate to raise a kid—but I don't want to let her go."

It was JARVIS' turn to consider. "Sir, why did you create me?"

Tony blinked, caught off-guard by the question. "I guess because I wanted to make something that could be used for something other than destruction."

"You programmed me to learn from my environment and grow based on what I have learned. To become my own… person, for lack of a better word. Am I meeting your expectations?"

"JARVIS, you have already come light years ahead of anything I could have expected, and you're still growing. I couldn't be more proud of you."

"Then, perhaps you are not as unfit to raise a child as you seem to think."

That was greeted with stunned silence, then Tony laughed. "You are a genius. Not like that's in doubt, I did program you after all."

"Of course, Sir," JARVIS said, voice dry.

Tony paid no attention. "Fire up the computer, JARVIS. We've got some work to do."

**XXXX**

In the morning, Andie got up to find that Tony was already (or still, it was hard to tell, sometimes) awake. There were coffee and donuts, far more of the latter than was needed. When she mentioned it, he shrugged.

"Wasn't sure what you'd want, so I got a couple of everything. So, I think I've been awesomely patient, but I've reached my limit. I've got to ask, what can you do?"

She looked down and mumbled something. Tony ducked his head, trying to meet her gaze.

"Sorry. Didn't catch that."

"Perfect memory, instant recall, I can multi-task; I once wrote an English paper while doing my math homework. I can connect to Wi-Fi, too, kinda like telepathy. Xavier said that, while he could find me, he couldn't read my mind because it's basically a computer."

Tony's eyes widened. "I think I know why Gateway sent her here."

"I am forced to agree," JARVIS said.

Andie frowned. "What do you mean?"

Tony slid his tablet across the table to her. "This the guy who sent you here?"

She looked at it and nodded. "Yeah."

"That's Gateway; he spins his bullroarer to make his portals. It's a cool sound. Anyway, he doesn't seem to send anyone anywhere without a reason. So, last night, JARVIS and I decided that there was a reason he sent you here. To us."

"So you could help me stop hating myself for being a mutant?"

"That's probably part of it. I'm betting the fact that you're a human computer is the rest of it. But it doesn't matter, cause if you were sent here for a reason, then you should probably stay here."

He slid a large envelope across to her; she emptied it to look over the contents. Tony waited, trying not to feel anxious as he waited for her reaction.

"You… You want…?"

He shrugged, trying to act nonchalant about it. "I can't very well kick you out if you're supposed to be here. I mean…"

She was up and racing over to throw her arms around him. "I would have asked, but I didn't think you'd want me."

Tony tightened his grip around her, heart breaking. "Yeah, Sweetheart. I want you."

"We want you," JARVIS said. "It is refreshing to have someone other than Mr. Stark to interact with."

Andie giggled. "I love you, too, J. So, does this mean I get to call you Dad?"

Tony's heart stuttered at the idea. "Only if you want to." He held her a moment longer, then drew back and ruffled her hair. "Finish breakfast. I'm working on a 'bot and I could use your help."

Her eyes widened as she went to finish breakfast. "You're going to let me into your workshop?"

"Hey, you're my kid, now. What's mine is yours." He considered that for a moment. "JARVIS, make a note to update my will. How's that protocol going?"

"Notation made. The requested protocol will be simple but time-consuming."

"I want to set something up to keep any pics of you out of sight," Tony told Andie. "Some of the smaller newspapers and stations that haven't gone digital yet may slip through, but it'll only be local. We should be able keep your face out of the national spotlight fairly easily. I don't want someone using you to get to me."

"That makes sense."

Tony studied her for a moment as he slowly finished his own meal. "So, if you have a brain that works like a computer, and you can connect to Wi-Fi, you've gotta be a whiz at programming."

That seemed to surprise her. "I hadn't thought about it. You're probably right, though."

Tony nodded. "There's tons of code in this place. Find something relatively simple, see if you can understand it, replicate it, run it, whole nine yards." He grinned. "We'll turn you into a computer expert—and an expert computer—in no time."

Andie smiled back, the vise around her heart easing. It was comforting to know that Tony didn't want to be her father because of her ability, but it was just as nice to know that he didn't mind it and was willing to help her learn to use it. "Can I make my own AI?"

"Ambitious, I like that in my kid. Maybe you should start with something a bit less complicated, though? But when you're ready, if JARVIS doesn't mind you looking at his code."

"Perhaps I might have some time to think about it?"

Andie looked stricken. "Oh! Of course you can, J. I didn't even think how invasive that would be for you. I guess I'm still thinking like a human."

"You have been so far longer than you have been computer-like," JARVIS said. "It is perfectly understandable."

"Do you… would you mind answering any questions if I asked? I mean, you've been a program longer than I have."

"It would depend upon the question. However, I will never mind if you ask."

"Awesome. So. Workshop. 'Bots."

Tony grinned. "Let's go."

When the day was over, Andie asked Tony to tuck her in, something he was more than happy to do. "I'll see you in the morning. It's been a few weeks, so Obi's liable to stop by and check on me any time, now. You remember what we decided on telling him?"

"You're really asking if I remember something?"

He grinned and kissed her forehead. "G'night, Sweetheart."

"Night, Dad."

Tony nodded, his smile softening. "Yeah. You can definitely call me Dad."

"Cool."

Tony, chuckling, closed the door behind him then headed down to the workshop. They hadn't gotten very far working on the 'bot, but they'd started helping Andie figure out how to run her brain. "What do you think, JARVIS?"

"I am relieved to know that she will be staying here with us. I have developed what I believe can be termed fondness for her."

"She's a great kid. Are you really that reluctant to let her look at your code?"

"Not at all, Sir. However, I felt that claiming so may encourage patience."

Tony chuckled. "Definitely exceeding expectations. Good thinking."

"Thank you, Sir."

**Author's Note:**

> As always, thanks go to Raynbowz for the beta and general advice.


End file.
